Before I tackle the Best Picture Oscar race, here are a few important takeaways when it comes to this weekend's box-office totals:
The slasher genre has most definitely been reignited with "Halloween." David Gordon Green's sequel to the 1978 classic topped the box-office yet again, in its second week of action, with a strong $32M weekend. That puts its 2-week total at a whopping $132M. Watch out for a major bump this week as it seems to be the only Halloween-centered movie currently in theaters and many will want a fright night at the cinema on the 31st.
On the indie side, “Suspiria” grossed $179,806 in just two screens for a wow-worthy $89,903 per screen average, that's the highest per-screen average of the year by any movie.
As for "A Star is Born," well, the word OSCAR comes to mind when it comes to the Bradley Cooper-Lady Gaga musical. It has legs and will continue to have legs all the way up to Oscar night. It has thus far made $148M, that includes this weekend's $14M intake, and is all but assured to become a major Oscar contender for Picture, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, Director, Screenplay, Cinematography, Song and other technical categories. In other words, it's turned into a behemoth of a movie.
As far as I can tell, 'Star' is the best picture front-runner, followed closely by Peter Farelly's still-unreleased "Green Book" which will win the hearts of American audiences. Bank on it. In fact, I think Farelly's film will win Picture over 'Star.' Why? Because it not only is tremendously entertaining but it also has a socio-political resonance that makes it all-the-more relevant to today's America, whereas Cooper's film is pure vanilla.
Best Picture rankings 10/29/18:
A Star is Born
Green Book
Black Panther
Roma
The Favourite
First Man
BlacKKKlansman
Widows
Can You Ever Forgive Me
If Beale Street Could Talk
First Reformed
Still unscreened for press: Mimi Leder's On the Basis of Sex, Adam McKay's Vice, Josie Rourke's Mary Queen of Scots, and Clint Eastwood's The Mule.